Many patients who require optical correction for visual acuity wear eye-glasses because they either cannot, or do not desire to apply contact lenses to their eyes. Among those who are able to apply contact lenses to their eyes without assistance, it is believed that approximately 25% of these patients have terminated use of contact lenses because of complications arising from a lack of aseptic conditions and/or because of frustrations or difficulties arising from the need to clean and store the contact lenses, and transport with themselves the necessary containers and cleaning solutions to maintain the contact lenses. For example, the containers for holding contact lenses need to be carefully cleaned and are difficult, and in many cases, impossible to adequately clean. In addition, these persons typically require a mirror to apply the contact lenses, and because they have difficulty viewing themselves within the mirror without eyeglasses, they have further difficulty applying the contact lenses to their eyes without assistance.
Many ocular complications relating to contact lenses are due to infections and/or toxic reactions arising from incomplete rinsing of the contact lenses with cleaning solutions or otherwise inadequate cleaning or not maintaining the sterile conditions of the lenses prior to application to the eyes. A certain number of such complications are due to the preservatives contained within the cleaning solutions. For example, it has been widely demonstrated that certain preservatives are aggressive, irritating and/or damaging to the superficial layers of the cornea of the eye.
There are numerous events that must be carried out to properly apply contact lenses to a person's eyes, including: forcing the upper and lower eyelids in a wide-open position so that the contact lens (typically about 14.5 mm in outer diameter) can fit through the opening between the eyelids; adequately cleaning the finger(s) used to handle and apply the contact lens; making sure the contact lens is properly oriented with the correct side (or concave side) facing the eye; making sure the contact lens is in a state of equilibrium on the finger at the time of application; and applying the contact lens onto the cornea of the eye without irritating the cornea or otherwise causing the eye to blink during application. The sensitivity of the cornea is among the highest of the human tissues, and therefore if the eyelids are not maintained in the proper position during application of the contact lens, the maneuver fails. Similarly, contact lens removal requires forcing the upper and lower eyelids in the wide-open position so that the finger tips and contact lens can fit through the opening between the eyelids; adequately cleaning the finger(s) used to pinch or otherwise handle and remove the contact lens from the eye; and removing the contact lens from the cornea of the eye without pushing the contact lens underneath one of the eyelids, irritating the cornea or damaging the lens.
In view of the above, several attempts have been made to aid a person when applying a contact lens. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,919,696 to Rinaldy shows an instrument for applying a contact lens. The instrument has a cup member 11 with a rim 13. A bracket 14 supports a lens supporting element 20 which is slidably mounted within the cup member 11. In use, the lens supporting element 20 is retracted and retains the lens by surface tension. The rim 13 is manually deformed and placed against the eyelids so that upon relaxing the rim 13, the eyelids are retained open. Subsequently, the lens supporting element 20 is depressed to place the contact lens on the eye and the instrument is removed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,910,618 to Massenz provides a contact lens applicator having a cup 11 connected to an irrigation bottle 23 by a tube 14. The tube 14 slides within the cup 11 and communicates fluid into the cup 11 from the irrigation bottle 23. The end of the tube within the cup 11 has a lens seat 19 for receiving a contact lens. The distal end of the cup 11 is a rim 12. Both the rim 12 and the cup are made of rubber. In operation, the rim 12 is squeezed to bring the outer edges together. The rim 12 is applied to the eyelid. Upon relief of the compression, the cup 11, being resilient, resumes shape keeping the eye widely exposed. Then, the tube 14 is moved toward the eye to place a contact lens thereon and the irrigation bottle 23 provides fluid as desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,113,297 to Quinn illustrates a device for inserting and removing a contact lens 32. A stand 11 supports the device upright on a flat surface. A storage chamber 15 is in fluid communication with a float chamber 14. An applicator eyepiece 16 mounts on top of the float chamber 14 and defines an aperture. A rod member 20 extends through the aperture and receives a contact lens on its top. The height of the rod member 20 is determined by the fluid level within the float chamber 14. Actuation of a flexible portion of the storage chamber 15 varies the fluid level within the float chamber 14 and, thus, the height of the rod member 20. To apply a contact lens, the fingers of one hand are used to hold the eye open over the eyepiece 16. The free hand actuates the storage chamber 15 to raise the rod member 20 to place the contact lens on the eye.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,494 to Reinson et al. shows a contact lens applicator 25 which also stores a plurality of contact lens. The container portion 10 includes multiple portions 10 which are identical and interlocking. Each portion 10 contains a single contact lens disposed in a liquid. The lens is supported on a deformable projection made of five legs 20. The portions 10 have a cover surface 16 and sidewalls with inner threads 13 and outer threads 14. The inner threads 13 and outer threads 14 of adjacent portions 10 threadably engage such that the adjacent portion 10 defines the cover for the next adjacent portion 10. A base 12 upon which the contact lens rests completes the portions 10.
There are problems associated with each of these prior art inventions such as contamination from fingers, a significant skill level being required to use the device, and no means to facilitate retaining the eyelids open simultaneously with insertion and/or removal of the lens. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method that overcomes one or more of the drawbacks and/or disadvantages associated with prior art apparatus and methods for removing and/or handling contact lenses.